A child that never was
by Hya-chan
Summary: Fuhrer Bradley is dead. Dante is losing control over the humunculi. Things aren't what they seem anymore. This is a story of betrayal, vengence, and new found freedom.**SPOILER WARNING** Suck at summaries please just R&R.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. I do, however, own my character Sarah Peretti. This is my disclaimer and the only one you will see in this fic unless I put in something else later that I'll need another disclaimer for. (I don't usually plan these things out very well.) So I hope you enjoy this fic. Also as a note to those reading my Labyrinth fic I have found my fairy queen's name (Does happy dance) so you shall have a new chapter up soon.

The whole place was in utter chaos. Central headquarters was falling apart. Fuhrer Bradley had gone missing. It was too early to tell but everyone suspected that he had been murdered. Of course no body had turned up but his family hadn't seen him for weeks and he hadn't been at headquarters. His secretary, Juliet Douglas, had reported seeing him a week ago. He had told her that he was stepping out for a little while and would be back shortly. In truth Fuhrer Bradley, AKA Pride, was really dead. Or at least as dead as a homunculi could be. A figure smirked as it listened to the hushed conversation of the military pigs closest to it.

"They say that the Fuhrer had enemies. I think that someone offed him in hopes of gaining his position. It's the only reasonable explanation. Don'tcha think?" The man next to him nodded. 'If only they knew the truth of that statement.' The figure smirked.

"Personally I think it was Mustang. He's always talking about becoming Fuhrer."

"Nah, he wouldn't kill someone just to get to a position that he wanted. He wouldn't do something that dirty. I bet it was someone from another branch. You know, no one will ever suspect it was me because I don't belong to that branch of the military so I can get away with it." The figure nodded. 'That's about right. It's more of, no one really knows me so they'll never be able to pin it on me.'

"It's definitely a conspiracy. He says that he's going out for a few minutes and still hasn't shown up weeks later. I mean that's just not normal. If he's not dead then this is one really sick joke." Leaving the two officers to speculate some more the figure returns to what it had previously been doing. It had a favor to cash in. The pawns were in place the only thing left to do, was wait. Melding through a wall the figure smiled at a very surprised Maes Hughes.

"Hello Hughes. I didn't mean to startle you but there's something that I require of you."

"I knew you'd show back up. After you saved my life that night I had forced myself to believe that it had all been a bad dream, but I knew that I was only kidding myself. So what is it that you're here for? I might as well return the favor to my guardian angel." The figure laughed. (AN:For those of you who are a little slow on the uptake I'm not going to tell you really anything about this character yet.)

"Angel? Hardly." The figure sobered. "I need you to get someone into the military for me." Hughes blinked a couple of times trying to comprehend what was being asked of him.

"That's easy. I was thinking that you were going to ask me to fly or something." He laughed as the figure stood there silently. After a moment Hughes became silent. "There's more isn't there?"

"Yes Hughes there is. I need you to help her obtain the Fuhrer's position."

"Are you crazy?! Until conformation that the Fuhrer is actually dead they won't think of replacing him. Besides they would pull someone who's already in line for the position to take over." The figure looked at Hughes rather frustrated.

"Listen to me. This is a matter of the utmost importance. The Fuhrer is dead. I can confirm that. He was a homunculi Hughes. He got what he deserved. That's all you need to know. As for getting her to his position I need someone that we can trust in there before they replace him with another homunculi. We have to do this quickly Hughes." He was silent for a moment as if wondering if all of this was real. Of course the figure could easily infiltrate the military and make the necessary arrangements; it was just easier to have the support of some of them and to go through all the right channels. Hughes nodded finally coming to a conclusion.

"Alright I'll help as much as I can."

"Thank you Hughes. I'll be back with more information for you. I'll send the woman to meet you tomorrow at 12:00. She'll be waiting on the steps for you."

"I got it, but how will I know that it's her?"

"She'll know you. She'll speak to you first, but in the off chance that there is someone else there then she'll be tall, have brown hair with dark blue highlights, and green eyes. More then likely she'll be wearing a white sun dress and hat tomorrow. Look for her Hughes; you won't be able to miss her." With that the figure was gone.

Several Weeks Earlier

Hughes was running from a hotel where he had nearly been killed by a homunculi, followed closely by Lieutenant Ross. He started telling her that the homunculi had moved in close to the Fuhrer and had infiltrated deep enough to effect large scale decisions. He notices that Ross doesn't have the mole under her left eye and says that they should go. Some ways away he had stopped at a phone booth to get in touch with Roy only to be informed by Falman that he had left for Central with Lieutenant Hawkeye. Frustrated Hughes slammed down the phone.

"Lieutenant Colonel we should go somewhere safe."

"Yeah you're right. It's not like I've lost any evidence here. But now there's something I'd like to bring up with you. Lieutenant Ross has a mole right beneath her left eye."

"Oh is that so? How careless of me." The imposter turns around and creates the mole that should have been there to begin with.

"Pft that's an amazing talent." The imposter goes to move and Hughes slits its throat. The imposter falls to the ground, dying. "I'll hope you'll forgive me. But I've got a wife and kid waiting for me back home." He turns and begins walking off. The imposter gets back up, this time taking the form of his wife holding a gun pointed at him.

"You're right Hughes, maybe this is a more fitting end." As the gun went off a figure had moved in Hughes way shielding him from the bullet. The figure in front of him was shrouded in shadow so it was impossible to determine anything conclusive about them.

"Envy, be gone with you before I'm forced to kill you." The figure of his wife shifted again until it was a short man with green spiky hair.

"I'd like to see you try." The figure in front of Hughes turned slightly towards him.

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes there is a car waiting for you just a little ways from here. I suggest you make haste too it and not speak of the events that have transpired here to anyone. I'm sure you understand. I'll keep you safe until you make it to the car. Oh and I'd avoid the Fuhrer and his secretary for the next few days. Who knows what'll happen." Hughes didn't question he just did. Running past the figure and the homunculi he headed towards the car that was supposedly waiting there for him. When he got a little further he heard the sounds of a fight. Ignoring them he ran the little ways more to an a joining street where a car was indeed waiting. Without another thought he hopped into the vehicle and they headed back to Headquarters.

The next day on the steps of Central Headquarters

A young woman with the description that Hughes had been given stood on the steps waiting for the man she was supposed to be meeting. Dressed in the white sun dress and hat she smiled at officers entering and exiting the building. Pulling her hat down to shade her eyes from the harsh sun she glanced up at the building itself. It really was magnificent. Glancing back at the doors she realized that Hughes was exiting and making his way down the steps. Putting on her best smile she stepped into his path.

"Good afternoon Lieutenant Colonel Hughes. It's very nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you. My name is Sarah Peretti." She held her hand out to Hughes who shook it enthusiastically.

"It's nice to meet you as well Ms. Peretti."

"Oh please just Sarah is fine. Ms. Peretti sounds so formal." Hughes could tell that he was really going to get along with this girl. "Now Lieutenant Colonel-"

"Hughes please."

"Alright Hughes then. If it's alright with you I'd like to go in and rest. It was a long journey after all and I'm rather spent."

"I'm sure that you are. How far did you travel anyway?" Hughes asked laughing.

"I'm sorry Hughes but I'm not at liberty to give you my previous location." She laughed with him as they headed up the stairs.

"I understand. But seriously you're the one that I need to get into the military? I mean you look so young."

"Thank you for the compliment Hughes but I can assure you that I am older then I look. Also I can be very stoic when it is called for. Anyway I think the military is the opportune field of work to get into. Don't you agree? And I really haven't had a steady job so I think that this'll be perfect. Besides I'm not the only one that doesn't seem suitable for military life." She made a point to look at Hughes when she said that. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Yes well I don't really work where you'll be. I'm in the investigations section. I don't usually get to see a lot of action."

"From what I've heard you've nearly been killed. Apparently you have been researching something that someone doesn't want you to know." He stopped surprised and she stopped next to him. Ignoring him for the moment she waved at some of the officers going by. One of them blushed and hurried on ahead of him buddy who waved at her before hurrying to catch the other who was no doubt about to be teased.

"How-?"

"I wouldn't be here if not for someone you had met. Do you honestly think that I would come here ill informed of recent occurrences? Come on Hughes, there is actually quiet a bit that I know. Most of it you either shouldn't know or it's not important for you to know at this time. Now if you would kindly show me where it is that I'll be staying. As I have already mentioned it was a long trip and I want to be at my best when I have to meet the higher ups."

"Of course. Right this way." Hughes led her down the hall all the while watching her take in her surroundings out of the corner of his eye. She looked so fragile and timid. Was his savior really thinking clearly when it sent this woman to be placed in the military? Noticing that she was being watched Sarah turned and smiled at Hughes who returned her smile. No, the angel must not have realized what had been sent to them. He would have to tell it the next time they met.

"Hughes don't worry about it. I am more then capable of taking care of myself."

"I'm sure you are." He stopped at a door. "This is the dormitory where you'll be staying. If you ever get lost someone will help you find it. All you have to do is ask. Well I think that's it unless you have any other questions."

"Actually there is one thing I was wondering about. Can I have pets here? If not then I'm afraid that we have a problem."

"Why's that?"

"Because I have a cat that I can't bare to be apart from." Hughes looked at her then smiled.

"Normally animals aren't allowed in the dormitory but for you I think we can make an exception. I'll pull a few strings."

"Oh but Hughes you're doing so much for me already."

"It's no problem. What are friends for?" She gave him a funny look at that sentence. She had just met him. How could they be friends? Dismissing it she hugged him to show her appreciation before disappearing behind the door. Hughes stood there for a moment before chuckling to himself. "Well that was unexpected." With that he went back to do some work. The girl the angel had sent was something else alright. He wondered briefly how everyone else would feel about her.

Sometime later

Sarah had awoken groggy and cranky. Of course it had been a rather rude awakening. The man sitting before her, Colonel Roy Mustang, had sent someone, she was too tired to remember who, to come and retrieve her so she could sit in his office and listen to him bitch about her being there. What had so rudely awoken her was the yelling of, NOT ANOTHER ONE!, that seemed to have originated from this office. Now here she sat only half listening to an enraged Colonel. Apparently he didn't like the idea of her being here anymore then the higher ups did. It's not like she had really asked what they liked though. To put it simply she didn't care. She was here to complete her mission and come hell or high water she would. Raising a hand she managed to silence the infuriated man, also drawing the attention of the woman beside him.

"Excuse me Colonel Mustang but I'm just as upset at having to work under you as you are at having me work under you so if I may be so bold as to make a statement I would like to state here and now that as long as you don't get in my way I won't get in yours. This will save us time, breath, and you from having to fill out a mountain of paperwork. So if you would kindly excuse me I have other things that I need to do in the precious time of mine that you are wasting. Should you need anything else I'll be with Lieutenant Colonel Hughes or in my quarters. Good day." With that Sarah left the room in a huff nearly running into someone in the process.

"So I take it the Colonel's not in a very good mood." The figure that had spoken was much shorter then Sarah. He had blonde hair and was wearing a red coat. (AN: You all know who it is which is why I'm not giving a detailed description. Actually as you may have noticed I haven't really done that with any of the FMA characters because you wouldn't be reading this if you didn't know them.) The person realized that he'd never seen the girl standing in front of him before. "My name's Edward."

"The fullmetal alchemist. It's a pleasure. I'm Sarah." She smiled at the boy.

"And I'm Al." She turned to see a suit of armor on her right.

"It's very nice to meet you as well Alphonse." Turning back to Ed she nodded. "His royal egoness had the audacity to wake me up and then summon me like I'm some kind of servant. The least he could have done was come and get me himself." She glared at the door hoping it would fry the male occupant inside. Edward laughed at her actions. Here was someone who finally understood how he felt about the colonel. He could tell that they were going to get along just fine.

"Well that's the colonel for you. Thinks he's the most important person alive." Sarah nodded her agreement. Glancing down at her watch for a moment she turned her attention back to Ed.

"Sorry but I've got to run. It was nice meeting both of you and I hope to talk to you more soon." With that she took off down the hall towards Hughes' office.

Inside Hughes' office

He had given Scieszka the day off. He had reinstated her after his near death experience. Of course he never mentioned why he had, had her sacked in the first place. A knock on his door pulled him from his thoughts.

"Come in." The meek woman he had met earlier with the brown hair poked her head into the room. "It's alright come on in." Entering the rest of the way she saluted.

"You wanted to see me Lieutenant Colonel." He nodded and motioned for her to shut the door. She did as she'd been shown. Taking a seat across from Hughes she smiled at him. "I assume that you want to talk about why I am here and what the higher ups have said. I can guarantee that I am well qualified for the position of Fuhrer."

"I'm not the one that you need to prove that to. The big guys would like to meet with you. As for you being sent here I have no problem with you being here but I'm still not fully convinced that you'll be alright. I just can't help but feel that you're not really cut out for this and I maybe out of line for saying this but-"

"Hughes it's alright. Thank you for worrying about me but really you have nothing to worry about. The person who's relying on me to do this has the utmost faith in me and so should you. I promise that I'll be just fine so stop worrying about it. Oh and that reminds me." Making a face she dug in her pocket. "Now where'd I put that?" Finding nothing she switches to the other pocket. "Darn that Mustang made me forget." Finally her hand retrieves the note from her back pocket. "Ah here it is. This is for you." She holds the note out towards him. "It's from my boss who made me promise to give it to you the next time I saw you. Something about making arrangements for another new military person." The letter disappeared from her hands. Quickly scanning it Hughes let out a frustrated sigh.

"Someone else is coming to assist you. I should have known that something like this would happen. Why did I ever agree to this?" The girl across from him tried desperately to hide her laughter. She failed miserably however and moments later burst into a laughing fit. Hughes waited for her to finish before speaking again. "I don't find this amusing. It was hard enough convincing them to let you join."

"Hughes they're already in the military. They got initiated in another branch. Don't worry so much. It'll kill you one of these days." She smiled at him as if she knew something that he didn't.

"As long as I don't have to deal with anymore paperwork we'll be okay." The girl across from him nodded.

"If you'll excuse me, I have a lunch date with Lieutenant Havoc." With that Sarah stood, saluted him, and left for the mess hall. She could hear Hughes sigh as she closed the door behind her. She felt sorry for him. He had done so much for her and the others and all they had done was saved his life. That definitely wasn't equivalent exchange. Letting out a sigh of her own she began her long journey. "Poor Hughes, I wish there was something I could do to make it up to him." After a while of walking she finally made it to the mess hall. Glancing down at her watch she smirked. "I'm early." Entering the hall she noticed that several conversations around her stopped. There had been talk going around about the 'new recruit' since she got there. None of it was particularly nice either. She could feel the eyes of the others following her as she made her way to the counter to get her tray. It was going to be a very long day. Oh well at least she had the meeting with the Higher ups to look forward to. When she reached the front of the line she smiled at the man behind the counter. He smiled back.

"So little lady, what'll it be today?" Sarah thought about it. What did she feel like today?

"I think I'll just have a sandwich and a warm cup of coffee." The man told her that it would be just a minute. She told him to take his time and turned her attention back to the room. People turned their heads acting as if they hadn't done anything. She scoffed. Cowards the lot of them. She briefly wondered what any of them would have done if they'd been forced to kill Pride. In their minds he was their Fuhrer. He had been nothing to her other then a creature that needed to be destroyed. Her tray was handed to her a moment later pulling her from her thoughts. "Thank you. Have a good day." Searching for an open spot she hoped that people wouldn't do what they had always done to her before. Taking a place at the end of a table she watched as the men that were sitting down from her took there things stood up and excused themselves. Sighing she looked back down at her plate. Suddenly she wasn't so hungry.

"Hey why the long face?" She looked to her right. There stood a short haired blonde man. He was smoking but that came as no surprise to her. His smile was friendly. Taking the seat next to her he threw his arm around her shoulders. "Cheer up. I'm here now." She chuckled at his antics.

"Thanks for inviting me to lunch Lieutenant Havoc." His smile widened.

"Hey anytime. I'm just glad that you accepted. So what's been bothering you? You seem down."

"Well I just got here and everyone's already treating me like a black sheep. I mean like just now. I sit down and everyone that's in a three seat radius gets up and moves. They act like I have the plague or something." His face turned concerned for a moment but then was back to its cheerful disposition.

"Don't worry about it. The military are just a bunch of stiffs. They wouldn't know good company if it bit them on the ass. I'm sure they'll settle down eventually. It's just with all the officers that are being killed by Scar and the Fuhrer missing...everyone's a little on edge." Sarah nodded. She understood entirely but she was hoping that she could at least make a few more friends before getting bumped up to Fuhrer. That would really set people on edge around her. The rest of lunch went well. They talked about little things like why she had joined the military and where she had lived before. The discussion was one that she had to manipulate to her advantage. The truth of the situation was that she had lived in Lior most of her life. She couldn't very well tell people that without them freaking out around her even more. Of course no one could trace her back to Lior if they tried. Instead she stated that she had lived in Aquroya. When asked about the Phantom Thief Psiren, she just laughed. Truth of it was she knew Psiren personally. Of course so did another state alchemist. Her reason for joining the military was partially true, job security, but it was much more then that. The discussion turned to Havoc and what exactly he was like. As he rambled on Sarah tuned him out. It's not that she wasn't interested in the things that Havoc was saying it was more that she had other things that took priority and she was trying to be polite. After a few moments of Havoc's continued rambling Sarah decided that she had best put a stop to it.

"Well Lieutenant Havoc I really enjoyed having lunch with you but I really have to get going." She stood up with her tray that held an empty coffee mug and a half eaten sandwich. She began to take her tray back to the counter but paused with an after thought. "Oh and Lieutenant Havoc just as a heads up, I don't date guys that smoke." She turned her head and saw the mortified look on his face. Chuckling a little to herself she set her tray on the counter and made her way back to her room. She had a lot of planning to do.

Inside Hughes' office

Hughes sat at his desk signing papers that he had deemed unimportant. He had called Mustang earlier to let him know that, no matter what he wanted, Sarah was there to stay. After some cursing from the Colonel on the other end of the phone Hughes proceed to talk about what Sarah was doing there which made Mustang throw in some more colorful words.

"Now Roy that's enough of that. She's not even guaranteed the position and we all know that you want it. There's been talk going around that you're the one that offed the Fuhrer so I'd think you'd be grateful that she'd get them off your back." The phone went silent for a moment. The conversation continued a little while longer before Roy said that he had some things to take care of. "Oh Roy before you go I was wondering if you'd seen the pictures I have of Elicia? She's just so adorable. You know just today-" Suddenly all he heard was the dial tone. "Hm must have been cut off." He stopped signing when he realized that he wasn't the only one in the room anymore.

"I tried to make myself appear more naturally to you."

"Why can't you just use the door like everyone else?"

"Do you really want 'them' to know that I'm here?" It took Hughes a moment to think about it before he shook his head. "Good, then for the time being this is the best way for me to meet with you."

"How do you do that anyway?"

"I knew you'd ask me that sooner or later. Let's just say that its need to know and right now Hughes you don't need to know. Now let's talk about what I'll be doing in the next week that you need to be aware of so that you can be prepared for them. Of course you have the other person I'm sending to keep an eye on you and Sarah-"

"That reminds me I wanted to talk to you about that. Are you sure that you sent the right person? I mean I like her and all, she's nice, but she seems too innocent and gentle for this kind of work."

"Hughes trust me, she'll be just fine. If you need any further convincing then just wait until she performs for the superiors. That'll prove to you that she's capable of handling herself. So as I was saying, I'm sending someone and Sarah will be taking care of things from her, soon to be, position. If you're lucky there will just be the two." He gave the figure a funny look.

"And if I'm unlucky?" The figure suddenly began chuckling. His face turned frightened.

"I'm sorry but you must admit that was humorous." The figure sobered. "If you're unlucky then you'll be receiving more men then you know what to do with. After what happened last time we're going to be keeping a very close eye on you. We don't need you nearly dying on us again now do we?" Hughes found no humor in that statement. It was true that he had nearly died but it had never occurred to him before that he could have been under someone's watchful eye long before that.

"How long exactly have you been watching me?"

"Long enough. We knew that there were plans for your death but we didn't exactly know when they were going to be executed. We had to make sure that you were alright. You're of no use to us dead. As was pointed out to me, you're not really of use at all. I could very easily have had someone else integrate my men into the military, but I like you Hughes. I was hoping that I could rely on you."

"You could, can. I have one question though. If you find that I'm not 'useful' anymore what will you do? Dispose of me?" The figure out right laughed which frightened and shocked Hughes even more then the chuckling had.

"My dear Hughes there are better ways to deal with those that have helped us and are no longer needed. Of course only the useful ones get that privilege. You would fall into that category. We can erase your memories or you could retire and we send you and your family on a nice vacation to forget about everything that you've been through. You'll be well provided for and under our protection until you die. Of natural causes of course." The figure looked at a clock hanging from the wall. "I think it best that I take my leave of you now. There are things that need to be done before morning and I've dallied enough as it is. Good day." With that the figure was gone. For a few minutes Hughes could do nothing but stare at the spot where the figure had been. Shaking his head he returned to his paperwork. Tomorrow was a new day with more surprises in store.

So what did you guys think? It's my first FMA fic so please be gentle with the reviews. If enough people like it I will continue. (I have BIG plans for this fic.) If not then I'll take it down and start over. I hope you like it though.


	2. Chapter 2

Woohoo second chapter to this story and still no reviews. I must go in search of you people obviously. New mysteries arise in this chapter. I hope that you all enjoy it. *searches for reviewers*

Sarah awoke to the first rays of morning shining into her eyes from her open window. Sitting up she stretched her arms to the ceiling before she instantly tensed. After returning to her room last night she had prepared herself for the demonstration that she would give the higher ups. It had been a rather chilly morning and so figured that the night would be no different. Thus being the case her window should not, in theory, be open. Cautiously she stood and made her way to the window. It hadn't been forced open meaning that it was opened from the inside. She hadn't opened it though which meant that whoever had was inside her room or at least had been to open it. Scanning the room she could find nothing out of place that would give the intruder away. If Sarah had been a normal person she would have shrugged and figured that the person was no longer present in her room. However years of avoiding danger and being chased by things stronger then herself had taught her that, that way of thinking was liable to get her killed. Walking her room carefully she examined everything again. Something was off she knew it. Spying a table she tried to think back. She had just gotten the room yesterday and had been too tired, not to mention busy, to inspect it. All of her senses though were telling her that there was something off with that table. She was startled from her thoughts by a knock at the door.

"Come in." The soldier stepped in quickly and saluted her.

"I'm sorry to disturb you but Hughes requests your presence in his office immediately. He does apologies for any inconvenience this may cause you if you were preparing for your presentation." Sarah nodded and dismissed the young man. Hughes that was a distraction that she really could not afford at the moment. She'd humor him anyway though. Thinking back to what the young man had said she smiled. Preparing for the presentation, that was a laugh. She didn't need to prepare anything. Everything that she could do would blow them away. Leaving her room she quickly made her way to Hughes office not wanting to keep him waiting. As she reached the door she heard whispered conversation coming from the confines of the room. Standing there for a moment she caught a bit of the conversation before politely knocking. The conversation inside ceased and Hughes told her to come in. Stepping into the office Sarah smiled at both Hughes and the man standing beside him. The man next to Hughes was a good foot and a half taller then him. His raven black hair fell over one of his eyes and to mid chest. The eye that was showing was an emerald green.

"I'm pleased to see that you made it here safely Lady Sarah." Sarah chuckled at his statement.

"I'm glad to see that you and Hughes are getting along rather nicely." She then turned her attention to the whole reason why she was there. "You wished to see me Lieutenant Colonel Hughes."

"Uh yes I'm sorry to have disturbed you but I had wanted you to come and meet the new Colonel who will be working with you but it seems as though you've already met." Sarah chuckled. "So how are things going for your exam?"

"Nothing to worry about Lieutenant Colonel. I have everything under control." She smiled at both of them. "Now if there is nothing else that you need I will return to my room. It'll be very nice working with you again Caleb. I'll see you later." With that she left the room not waiting for Hughes to respond. That table in her room was bothering her. After much thought back to the previous day she realized that the table indeed had not been there the day before. Continuing back to her room Sarah smiled at Lieutenant Havoc as he passed by. He smiled back at her before continuing on his way. Reaching her destination she entered her room. Noticing the table was still there she closed the door. Something about the table was off. Sarah began to closely inspect the table for what was giving her the weird feeling. Starting at the legs she slowly and carefully made her way up the rest of it. Smirking in victory she skimmed the transmutation circle on the underside of the table with her finger. "Just as I thought." Clapping her hands together she transferred her energy into the table. "Show yourself now!" Prepared for a fight she was totally surprised to see her chimera Lucifer standing where the table once was.

"/Hello mistress. It's been quite a while since I've seen you./"

"Lucifer! It has been quite a while. How did you get here without anyone noticing you? I'm the only one who can turn you into your cat self."

"/It was Wrath that did it mistress. He turned me into that stinking table. I WILL get my revenge./" Sarah chuckled at that. 'Will those two ever get along?'

"But how did you get in my room?"

"/Like I said before that would be Wrath's doing. He put me in your room last night when he was 'reassigned' here./"

"I see and you're here to keep me company?"

"/More like keeping an eye on you./" Sarah chuckled again.

"Leave it to Wrath to want to keep an eye on me." There was a knock on the door interrupting their conversation. "Just a minute." Quickly touching the transmutation circle behind Lucifer's ear she transformed him into a black and white, long haired tabby. "Enter." A head that she recognized popped into the room. "Oh hello Ed. What brings you to my room?"

"I talked to Hughes. So you're going to show off your talents to the higher ups? Do you have any idea what you're going to do yet?" Sarah smiled at him happily.

"Of course I do Edward. You think that I would go totally unprepared?" He just shrugged.

"I don't know. I haven't known you long enough to tell."

"Don't worry Ed. I'm totally prepared for anything they can throw at me." Her smile widened. "Want me to give you a small preview? The only thing is you can't tell anyone about it." Ed nodded enthusiastically. "Alright then. Come here Lucifer." The cat meandered over to her. "Now Ed you know of the existence of chimeras from your dealings with Shou Tucker. I also am aware of your knowledge of the talking chimera he created and how he did it. So let me show you something...different." She made sure she had his full attention before touching the circle behind the cat's ear. As the small cat transformed into the giant creature it had started out as, Ed's eyes grew in size.

"Its...its..."

"A chimera yes. That's not all though Ed."

"/Edward Elric the fullmetal alchemist I presume. I've heard quite a bit about you from my mistress./" Ed's eyes grew bigger.

"How...how did you-?"

"It's alright Ed I know that it's a lot to process."

"Did you use a human to create it? If you did I swear-"

"Calm yourself Edward. Everything is fine. No humans were harmed in the making." Lucifer laughed at his mistress.

"/That is correct Ed. I was not created from an animal and a human./"

"Alright hold on. If you weren't created from a human then how can you talk?"

"Ed that's our secret. Anyway do you think the higher ups will be pleased?" He nodded. "Now remember Ed this is our little secret." He nodded again then paused as an after thought.

"Can I tell Al?" Thinking that over she nodded.

"I'm sure Al can keep it a secret also."

"Well I'll let you get back to whatever it is that you were doing." With that Sarah showed Ed out before turning back to Lucifer.

"That went well."

"/I don't know why you showed him at all. It's not like his opinion matters anyway./" Sarah's attention was diverted out her window. Sighing she looked back at the chimera.

"Maybe it doesn't to some people but it matters to me."

Meanwhile Hughes was sitting in his office. The new addition, Caleb, had made quite a stir. Not to mention Roy had lots of paperwork and wasn't too happy about it. Sighing heavily he stood from his desk and walked into the area off from his office where Czeska usually worked. Turning to talk to her he jumped back. Instead of Czeska his angel was there.

"It's good to see you again as well Hughes."

"We already had the discussion about not popping in when I least expect you and scaring me to death."

"Well you were obviously expecting someone to be here or else you'd still be at your desk." Hughes opened his mouth before realizing that she was right.

"I was expecting to see Czeska. She's my secretary and I needed to speak with her."

"Ah I see. She went to lunch about eight minutes ago. Said something about not telling you because you'd pull out pictures of Elicia? Anyway she'll be at least another twenty minutes."

"And how do you know this?"

"Hughes I monitor you're every move. That reminds me. You were going to tell Czeska to call Edward Elric into your office weren't you?" Hughes shifted from one foot to the other looking uneasy.

"Yes I was...why?"

"I advise that you don't, the information that you have found should not have been there. Even if you explore it there is no evidence to prove what you could claim exists."

"But-"

"NO HUGHES!" The Lieutenant Colonel quieted feeling very afraid for the first time since the night he nearly died. The figure calmed itself then continued. "You will not pursue this Hughes. The information you have should not have ended up in your hands. It's as deadly to you as the information and discovery of the homunculi. Do not investigate it anymore." The door opened and the new colonel from earlier entered. "Caleb will be keeping his eyes on you. Sarah doesn't need the extra stress." Hughes looked shocked. The figure smirked. "What's the matter Hughes? Did you not think that my 'helpers' could contact me?" Turning serious again the figure got back to the reason she had shown up. "Keep the file safe until you're given the ok. Don't and you'll be facing an enemy that you'd wish you'd never made." With that the figure disappeared right in front of Hughes' eyes.

"Our leader means well." Hughes still just stood there dumbfounded. "That scary huh?" Caleb chuckled. "Don't let it get to you Lieutenant Colonel. This is in the best interests of us all. I'll go retrieve Czeska for you." That being said Caleb left.

Sarah walked down the hall with Lucifer next to her. People she passed stared at her like they had been doing since she arrived. Like she was some kind of monster. 'I guess they'll never change.' Suddenly her lack of concentration caused her to collide with someone. She was caught before she collided with the ground. "Oops sorry I wasn't watching where I was going." Looking up she smiled. "Hey Al what brings you here?"

"I was looking for brother. Have you seen him?"

"Not recently sorry." Al set her back on her feet. "Thank you for catching me. If I do happen to 'run' into him I'll let you know." Al thanked her and took off back in search of his brother. Chuckling to herself Sarah walked to Colonel Mustang's office. Knocking on the door softly she waited to be called in. It would definitely be a friendlier meeting then the last one. When she was given the ok she entered the room. Saluting she smiled. "You wanted to see me Colonel Mustang."

"Yes sit over there and wait for a minute." Sarah did as she was told and watched as Roy turned his attention back to Ed. "Do you hear me? Don't screw up this time Fullmetal. If you happen to have some free time after what you do with it is up to you. You're dismissed." Ed stood up, saluted and was almost out of the door when Sarah caught his arm.

"Al is looking for you."

"Thanks." She nodded at him before turning her eyes back to the Colonel. "There was something that you wished to speak with me about."

"Yes there has been a small change in plans. Caleb is going to be transferred from our branch to one of the others." There was a slight pause as Sarah thought it over.

"Why are you telling me this Mustang? This is information that Lieutenant Colonel Hughes should know not me."

"I thought that you should be informed because you two are all bubby, buddy with each other."

"Mustang he has only been here for one day. Tell me why they would transfer him." Mustang sat at his desk looking a little worried.

"He's needed in another branch. That's all that I was told. I didn't even get the information on what branch he would be going to." Mustang took in her appearance and added. "I'm sorry that he'll be leaving so soon." Sarah just nodded at him. "That's all you're dismissed." As she got into the hallway Lucifer rejoined her.

"They're sending Wrath to another branch. When I'm Fuhrer I shall fix that." Lucifer only meowed beside her. Squatting down she began to rub his head when she heard Al and Ed approaching.

"I'm telling ya Al something's not right about all of this."

"But why would he be sending us then brother?"

"I'm not sure." Rising to her feet Sarah decided that she needed to hear more of their conversation. Moving stealthily she hid behind a door that had opened to let someone out of a room. The person looked sat her funny but he ignored him in favor of catching up with the Elric brothers. She tracked them outside hiding behind the occasional car and street sign. "Hey Al. Do you get the feeling that we're being followed?" They both turned around to see no one there. They shrugged at each other and continued on their way. Sarah let out a sigh of relief before moving from behind the car. Looking around she realized that the two brothers were nowhere to be seen.

"Now where did they get to?" Suddenly she was grabbed from behind. Letting out a shriek she struggled with whoever it was.

"See Al? I told you that someone was following us." Sarah stopped struggling and smiled down at Ed.

"Hey there small fry." She watched as Ed's temper rose to the surface.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO TINY THAT THEY CAN'T BE SEEN WITHOUT A MAGNIFYING GLASS?" Alphonse sighed before releasing Sarah.

"Brother she didn't say that." Sarah chuckled next to Al.

"Yeah Ed I didn't say all that but now that you mention it I guess that it is true, huh?" She watched as Edward silently fumed. "Care to tell me what colonel stick up his butt told you?" The brothers went looking at each other as if debating on whether they should or not.

"We're going to go and see our teacher."

"You're going to go and see Izumi? Either you two are very brave or very stupid. I have yet to figure out which it is yet." The brothers looked at each other again, this time in shock.

"How do you know teacher Sarah?" She stopped and considered something for a moment. Then she smiled at Al.

"Izumi is famous Al. Besides if I'm going to be Furher then I need to know about all of the people under me. I decided to start with you two. Hughes and the intelligence division were a lot of help. If the information that I got is correct then you two are searching for the philosopher's stone." She waited for them to be shocked again but to her surprise Ed laughed.

"You really did do your homework didn't you?" Sarah nodded. "I hope that you make Furher then. You seem like a good person for the job. Al and I have to go now, but we'll see you again in a week. If you need us you'll find us in Dublith." Sarah nodded and waved as they continued their way to the train station.

"Those boys are getting so big. I hope that Izumi goes easy on them." At that thought she laughed.

Wrath sat on his bed feeling caged. Being a homunculus wasn't all it was cracked up to be. He stood suddenly as a figure appeared in his room.

"It's odd that you would come to me like this. After all you could just visit me normally." The figure chuckled.

"Where's the fun in that? After all we need to keep face. That's not what I'm here to discuss though."

"Blunt as always."

"I try. Now there are several matters that need to be discussed. I need you to continue to keep an eye on Hughes. He keeps getting closer to something that shouldn't be found. "

"He has been nosing about quite a bit. He had called Ed into his office but he never went."

"I know that. Hughes had Roy send the boys to go see their teacher in Dublith. Her name is Izumi Curtis. You won't have to worry about being transferred. Maybe we can send that Mustang instead."

"That reminds me. I spoke to Hughes about him and he seems to think that Roy could be a great asset to our plan. Of course he doesn't know the plan but he has known the colonel longer then we have."

"Well we'll leave him here within our reach then but if I find that he's more of a hindrance then help I won't hesitate to remove him." Wrath relaxed as the figure vanished and went back to feeling trapped.

Hughes had slammed his door. Czeska had known that something was off with him when she had returned from lunch. He was worried about something and had covered it up by acting aloof. When she asked him if he still needed her to get Edward for him he pulled out pictures of his family. That meant that he was trying to keep from telling her whether Ed had been in the office or not. Shortly after that a soldier had come in to tell Hughes something and he had looked slightly afraid. Not much longer he walked into his office mumbling something about dead people not being where they were supposed to and slammed the door. Knocking on the door brought Czeska's thoughts away from her boss.

"Come in." Caleb entered the office smiling. "Oh hello Caleb. If you're here to see the lieutenant colonel he's free. Be warned he's in some kind of mood."

"Thank you Czeska. I'll only be a few minutes." That being said Caleb walked into Hughes' office. Shutting the door he waited for the man to notice him. Hughes was buried under a pile of paperwork digging for something on his desk. Huffing in frustration he continued his unyielding search.

"Czeska have you seen-" His voice cut off mid sentence when he spotted Caleb in the room. "Well hello Caleb what can I do for you?"

"What have you been up to Hughes?" Automatically the Lieutenant became nervous.

"I…I don't know w-what you mean. I haven't done a-anything. T-The investigation division s-started to do t-things on their own." Caleb sent a glare his way.

"How much do you know?"

"N-Not much. Just a l-little more then before."

"How many other people know?"

"None." Hughes was definitely starting to sweat now. He had found out that the investigations department had started going back and discovering the causes of past deaths. It supposedly had something or other to do with the Scar case. Now Hughes wasn't so sure. "I have the research documents."

"Be very careful Hughes. You're treading on very thin ice." He sent one more glare to Hughes before leaving the room. Sending a small smile to Czeska he exited the office. This was bad. Hughes was digging around again whether intentionally or not. He was putting his life in danger again. However this time it involved others as well. They were closer to discovering 'her' then they should be. Wrath needed to tell the others. He took the next hallway and knocked on Sarah's door.

"Come in Caleb." An officer that was walking by gave him a funny look before continuing on his way. Wrath just shook his head. Opening the door he was greeted by Sarah's cheerful face. "So what brings you here?"

"We have problems."

"I'll say. I don't know what to do for the higher ups. Should I make a talking chimera, should I transmute something really big, should I blow something up." Wrath was staring at her in shock. "What?!"

"You're trying to make the Fuhrer not get yourself thrown in jail. That is what they do to people like you after all. People who are different and frightening they throw in prison." Sarah scoffed at him.

"They do not. There were people who knew how Shou Tucker had made his talking chimera and they made him a state alchemist. They didn't throw him in prison or have him executed."

"Not until someone on the outside found out how he had done it. Then they drug him off and had him executed in front of a firing squad." Sarah grinned mischievously at him making him feel slightly uneasy. "Anyway there's more bad news. The investigation division has done some 'digging' and they have found things on 'her'." Sarah sobered up quickly.

"We can't let them find 'her' Wrath."

"I know. Hughes says that he has all the research but I'm not so sure. He was too freaked out to get details from."

"Wrath we can't let them do this. I mean if they find out about 'her'-"

"I know." Sarah sat down on her bed motioning for Wrath to join her. When he did she leaned onto his shoulder. Instantly Wrath began stroking her hair to calm her. "Everything will work out alright. We won't let them find 'her'. I will make sure of it myself. For you if for no one else." Sarah relaxed into him.

"Thank you Wrath."

Very sad about this chapter. I had a few 'issues' with my laptop and my flash drive. I only had half the story when it made it to my computer with internet and I had to retype the rest so it sounds weird to me. Who is this person that Wrath and Sarah keep referring to? Well you'll just have to wait and find out later. Maybe next chapter maybe not. I hope to get some reviews this time. Until next time.


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